PRIME YOUR BIOENERGY

The Fisticuffs series was created before the Leg Fencing series, and it's obvious
that Scott has been refining and improving his approach as he goes along. Those
who've viewed other tapes from RMAX are aware that Scott speaks a language all
his own -- one comprised of many very specific terms that relate to the science of
physical training and to his philosophy of the successful approach to that
science. Fisticuffs includes a lot of these terms, and this may confuse some
viewers unfamiliar with Scott's work.
Also missing are the nice graphic titles separating segments from each other and
explaining the formulae and mnemonics to which Scott refers at times. This
absence, to be frank, made the review a little more difficult to do, because in taking
notes the separation between sequences was not as clear.
Production values were okay. The tape was audible, and I had no trouble making
out what Scott was doing as he demonstrated drills in front of a blank white
wall. I did find the striped Spetsnaz tank-top Scott wears to be distracting. (For all
I know, the Spetsnaz chose that pattern for the same reason that a zebra's stripes
offer some protection from prey.)
So, with all that said, am I writing a negative review? Not
at all. The Fisticuffs series is a good one. Yes, it is not as well-developed as
Scott's later work, but who among us does not improve with practice? What is neat
about a video series like this is that even if you don't follow everything Scott is
saying, it isn't really necessary. Watch this tape and do what Scott does, when he
tells you to do so. When you're done, you'll have "primed your bioenergy." This is
only the start ofFisticuffs, but it forms the platform on which you will build in
studying the following cassettes.
I should pause to state unequivocally that the principles imparted in
the Fisticuffs series are absolutely vital to your development as a fighter. Scott
brings very real insight to pugilism. The further I got into this series, the more
enamored of it I became, eager to go out and try in sparring what I learned from
Scott's coaching. That is what Scott does, incidentally: coach. Often I found
myself thinking, "Well, that's common sense." But if this is so, why does it not
come naturally? Why have I not applied such advice, such principles,
already? The answer is that no fighter is simply born perfect and fully
developed. He or she must be coached to reach full potential. That is what Scott
does well. I have spoken glowingly of Scott Sonnon's work on these pages,
because I like it very much. The high esteem in which I hold it was earned by the
material itself and through no other means.
Tape 1, like each of the tapes in the set, opens with an inspirational quote and a
pair of stylized video sequences. The audio of Scott's metaphor-laced narration
during these sequences could have been louder, but I liked them. Specifically, I
liked the contrast between the two. The first shows an altercation with multiple
opponents in which the defender fails, while the second shows what he should do
to be successful in neutralizing and escaping the dangers presented. These
sequences depict the difference between the zone and the vortex, between
success and failure, between what we seek to experience versus what we seek
to impose.
In Tape 1 Scott explains how to prime your bioenergy. The focus here is to
integrate breathing, movement, and alignment. The most important aspect of this -
- and a philosophy repeated throughout the Fisticuffs series -- is that this is non-
technical practice. Focus on the process, not the product, Scott urges.
An infinite range of motion equals an infinite range of options, Scott tells us. He
goes on to speak of "joint recruitment" and leads the viewer through a series of
joint recruitment exercises. The figure 8 or "infinity" pattern emerges here again,
as it will many times before the series ends. Scott refers to the "six degrees of
freedom" -- movement up, down, left, right, back, and forward.
The exercises demonstrated include work for the neck, shoulders, arms, thorax,
pelvis, and spine. Scott both explains and demonstrates the proper way to
integrate your breathing with your movement, inhaling when expanding and
exhaling when contracting. The importance of proper breathing has been stressed
to me endlessly by both of my instructors. I was pleased to see it emphasized
here.
By the time you're done with the joint recruitment exercises, Scott predicts, you'll
feel like jelly -- and he's absolutely correct. Looking at the exercises more
generally, they're all about those figure 8s. If you've ever seen a graphic depiction
of the angles in which a sword can move, you've seen it as the intersection of
several loops that can be connected as figure 8 patterns. There are only so many -
- but they comprise the entire range of human motion, for the sword is simply an
extension of the body. The importance of developing these ranges of motion
cannot, therefore, be overstated.
Moving on to vibration drills, Scott warns the viewer not to bring preconceived
notions to the drills. If any of them look familiar, he cautions, resist jumping to the
conclusion that you already know what is being done and why. (This is a great
philosophy to bring to drills in general, not just these. It's an idea I've heard Scott
repeat on other tapes.)
The most important part of vibration drills is the seamless transition from the end of
one motion to the beginning of another. As Scott explains later, the gap between
movements is where we are vulnerable and what we seek to minimize. As he
usually does, Scott builds on each exercise, working from simple motions to more
complex and integrated ones.
Starting with a simple shoulder drop and lift, integrating exhalation and inhalation
with it, Scott takes the exercise to a right-left movement using one arm or
another. You will start to see, here, the application of this exercise to the
mechanics of fighting with the arms -- though of course in making that observation
I'm already bending the rules of the exercise, by placing preconceived notions of
for what the motions will be used on the expression of the drill.
The exercise becomes progressively more complicated as Scott integrates several
breaths into the practice, finally incorporating his entire body.
In an exercise that develops tone, Scott demonstrates how to move from the
shoulders to the elbows to the wrist, tensing each in succession. He then tenses
his entire arm and relaxes it. The drill reminds me of part of Wing Chun's Sil Lim
Tao form, in which an extended wu sao (a vertical edge-of-hand) is retracted and
relaxed into fook sao (a hooking hand). Yes, I'm bending the rules again here.
Going on to discuss wave motion, Scott demonstrates taking that shoulder-elbow-
wrist motion into a wave forward. It's not a whip, but a casting motion. Do this
right and you will see not only the power generated, but the greater ease with
which one can continue moving through the wave without being forced to drag the
arm back to retract it. (The importance of this -- constant motion, rather than
dragging back and resetting to launch a new attack -- is emphasized in Tape
2,Weaponizing Your Architecture.)
Introducing a concept that is repeated again in Tape 2, Scott warns the viewer not
to think in terms of specific weapons or techniques. Focus, instead, on the
platform and the delivery, integrated with your respiration.
Once again building on the previous techniques, Scott works his way through
several ranges of wave motion, cascading from one side of his body to the next,
backwards and forwards, moving through the waves in one direction before
reversing them to move through them in the other direction. He also speaks about
frustration in the course of the exercises. If you find yourself becoming frustrated,
he says, pull back a bit and reintegrate your breathing, movement, and alignment.
Chuckling, Scott refers to breakdancing as he demonstrates how to transmit force
from one end of your body to the next. It really does look like breakdancing. I was
ready to break out the old Alfonso Ribeiro breakdancing mat and follow
along. While it may look amusing, though, this is an important concept.
Elaborating on the six degrees of freedom, Scott explains that the points of rotation
are the middle of your upper arm and the middle of your lower arm. You're rotating
around the forearm, for example -- not the elbow. The smaller the point of rotation,
the faster your relative speed. As the rest of Scott's body joins the movement, we
can again see the relevance of the earlier drills. He folds from upper frame to
lower frame, from right to left, and back again. (It's easy to imagine how these
motions apply to fighting, but -- again -- don't imagine too much.) Folding your
architecture is an important concept in Tape 2, as it is critical to moving around
what your opponent offers to continue your motion.
Your body, Scott explains, is a structural system that must shift to accommodate
your movement. It's a cognitive illusion to think you can move your arm without
moving the rest of your body. Scott then takes us through free form practice,
folding and casting with both arms while moving.
Scott's discussion of the lower body reminded me very much of the Leg
Fencing series. (If Leg Fencing did not exist, this is the part of the review where I'd
say, "I'd like to see this treated in greater detail in another tape." Thankfully,
Scott's done that already.) We are not concerned with moving our feet, he tells us,
but with moving our bodies.
To move your legs, you must move your hips. Scott demonstrates a basic weight
transfer from one leg to the other. If you take nothing else away from these
reviews, remember the importance of screwing motion with the legs (and with the
arms). The infinity patterns, wave motion, casting (with the arms), and screwing
are concepts Scott repeats constantly. In his demonstrations it is
obvious why and how these work. They are sound physiological and mechanical
concepts that you cannot afford to ignore or dismiss.
The movements that follow are, essentially, previews of the material in Leg
Fencing. "Accordion" and "knee screw" motions are taken into the box step and
then into a slingshot motion. The slingshot is the result of the seamless transition
of the box step. Think of it as "loading" and "unloading," storing elastic energy to
give you power to drive forward.
After dealing with the ranges of motion appropriate to lower limb architecture, Scott
demonstrates an exercise in which the entire body trembles as it collapses down
and then comes up again, respiration integrated with the movement. This relaxes
the entire body. (Try it. It's quite invigorating.)
The culmination of the tape, as Scott explains, is solo "soft work" -- feeling the
seamless transition in your movement to feel the integration of movement,
breathing, and alignment. Combining all the exercises on the tape, Scott moves
fluidly about the screen. I could not help but picture an opponent before him, for it
is obvious by this point just why the exercises he demonstrates are of use.
Recognize the necessity of daily personal practice with a non-technique focus,
Scott repeats. The integration of your movement, breathing, and alignment is
critical to recovering from mistakes and dealing with the unexpected -- which
makes you tougher and a better fighter.
The tape includes a nice concluding segment, something that is often missing from
instructional tapes (even some of Scott's). While such formalities as introductions
and conclusions aren't necessary to the function of a video of this type, they help
give the reader a sense of focus, a structure to the curriculum. I was pleased to
see it included here.
WEAPONIZE YOUR ARCHITECTURE
The tape begins with the same stylized pair of sequences on Tape 1. To
weaponize your architecture, Scott explains, is to use your entire body as a
weapon. Circumstantial spontaneity overrides the application of
techniques. You don't need a catalog of techniques. Such an approach will lead
to your downfall against a fighter who understands that improvisation is one of the
most critical skills in hand to hand fighting. Suspend the notion of specific
techniques, Scott urges. Look, instead, at the process of integrating your
breathing, movement, and alignment.
Each exercise on the tape, Scott warns, is not intended as a set of movements to
memorize. Use them to help you understand the importance of constant motion
and improvisational weaponizing, but improvise similar drills for your own practice.
Following what is by now a predictable sequence -- the foundation for good
instructional curricula, as far as I am concerned -- Scott works through horizontal
and then vertical infinities with his arms, striking pads worn by a training
partner. Keep moving, he urges. You are vulnerable when you "reset." When
you're throwing your arms and working through these movements, any damage
done should be incidental. This is part of a non-technique focus. You are getting
out of the way of your flow and letting the damage happen as you stay in constant
motion.
Working forward and then back, dropping his upper frame to his lower frame and
screwing the force out to come back in a tight infinity pattern, Scott explains that
force comes from the natural range of motion without stopping. The gap between
techniques will be your undoing, he repeats. "Circumstantial spontaneity" should
be your goal, he says. "Performance is prior to precision."
Keeping his hands open, Scott touches on the erasure of the distinction between
striking and grappling. With your arms in constant motion and your architecture
"weaponized," you can use anything available to you against any and all targets
nearest you. This is the key to the entire tape.
Scott also refers to the "trinity" concept, in which not one but three strikes are
delivered. You wish to overwhelm your opponent, push him into the "vortex," the
downward performance spiral that is the focus of tapes 3.1 and 3.2. There is real
consistency here, as this discussion could come from either Flow Fighting or Leg
Fencing. Scott's material can be absorbed individually, but taken together his
works form a web of training that build on and enhance each other.
Scott explains the three main tactics for delivering force to the
opponent: projection, whipping, and casting. Projecting is linear
delivery. Whipping may look powerful, but really doesn't have all that much power
behind it. Casting is the best method, recruiting the most joints and using the body
in a relaxed way while delivering force through a smooth, integrated movement.
An extended discussion of collapsing and folding your architecture, and how this
applies to impact delivery, follows. This was introduced in Tape 1 and is very
important. Scott demonstrates how to deliver blows around the axis of the
opponent's hold -- you can see him "flowing" as he does this -- and how to use what
he gives you to work around, through, and with his movement.
Every part of your appendage, and every part of your body, can be "weaponized,"
Scott says. He demonstrates how to use different portions of your body in the
clinch, spending time on the elbow pit, the inside of the elbow, the outside of the
elbow, and the forearm. The discussion of the forearm was particularly of interest
to me, as I have always been fond of forearm smashes and have thought -- as
Scott says on the tape -- that the forearm is neglected in much martial
training. (The forearm is not a "lazy elbow," Scott points out, but a screw that pops
outward.)
In these sequences, Scott is amazing to watch. As he demonstrates flowing and
delivering damage to the opponent, we start to really see what he can do. He is
both fast and fluid and obviously knows what he is doing.
There is a good segment on fear reactivity, the emotional arousal that is the enemy
of flow. There are three elements to fear reactivity: sensitivity (how much you
detect), irritability (how quickly you react), and contractibility (how much you
react). Get your opponent's fear reactivity rolling, Scott explains, and you can
"push him into the vortex."
Density, a byproduct of fear reactivity, involves the heart rate, the breathing rate,
and muscular tension. It is comprised of the internal distractions that occur due to
perceived or real errors, detected threats, and the unexpected. You can use this
density in fighting your opponent, Scott explains. If you cause emotional arousal,
you create, for example, muscular tension -- density -- that can be
manipulated. This discussion reminded me very much of chi sao, a sensitivity
exercise in Wing Chun in which any tenseness in the opponent works against him
and provides the lever against which you move to defeat his or her guard.
Scott goes on to discuss trigger points and the difference between them and
pressure points. Trigger points cause motor action and can be used to create
openings. Pressure points, by contrast, are used to inflict pain.
Your opponent's fear reactivity can work to his advantage, however, so you must
be aware of this. His intention creates an opportunity which creates the ability to
attack. If he is very irritable, for example, he may react quickly to counter your
attack. You can use this, however, because fear reactivity disintegrates the
integration of your opponent's movement, breathing, and alignment. You wish to
be in the zone -- proper integration of those three elements -- while you push him
into the vortex.
Fear reactivity has three types, based on physiology. These are concentric
(flinching), isometric (defensive bracing), and eccentric (resisting). Eccentric is the
strongest muscular action of these three, so be aware that your opponent is most
powerful when experiencing this. Manipulate the different types of fear reactivity to
maximize your efficacy.
The setting of the tape shifts to a boxing ring in which Scott demonstrates holds,
ties, and reversals with the help of a pair of training partners. One of these men is
wearing another of those striped tank tops and has elaborate tattoos on his arms,
which is visually distracting. (It's not a big problem, but I did find myself looking to
see exactly what the tattoos depicted, which prompted me to rewind to see what I'd
missed while I was doing that.)
Focus, Scott urges, on force vectors while viewing these demonstrations. He and
his partners work through a number of wedges, single and double underhooks,
neutral ties, and levering. There was one sequence that I really liked in which
Scott deftly reverses a hold applied to him, smoothly and very quickly placing his
opponent in the same position.
The boxing ring segment of the tape goes on for quite some time and is worth
more than one viewing. I cannot really do it justice here. A wealth of information
on dealing with certain clinch tactics is imparted relatively quickly. (If I have any
real complaint about this portion of the tape, it is that the lighting is very yellow,
especially compared to the stark white look of the rest of the tape.)
Wrapping up the tape, Scott returns to the first setting to discuss the three strategic
interfaces for fighting. These are proactive (addressing directly the opponent's
intention and inhibiting his motor launch), counteractive (dealing with the
opponent's delivery system) and retroactive (being tougher than the opponent,
through habituation or sensitization).
FLOW STATE PERFORMANCE SPIRAL
"Enter The Zone and Impose the Vortex"
This is a conceptual tape, in which Scott speaks at length about performance
spirals, psychodynamic profiling, flow state characteristics, the "zone," and the
"vortex." If you are confused, don't worry. Those unfamiliar with Scott's other work
may be intimidated by the lengthy lists of complicated terms presented, but these
terms comprise what are ultimately simple concepts. Those with fighting
experience will be able to relate to these concepts almost immediately.
There were no production issues on this tape, apart from some intermittent buzzing
and audio fuzz during one brief segment. The chalkboard Scott uses is not as
visible as is the white board to which he turns at one point, but I generally didn't
have much difficulty taking notes from the material.
I will start with the larger picture of what Scott is presenting. Those of you with
martial arts experience or who've done any significant sparring or fighting will know
precisely what Scott means by "the zone" when I tell you that he's not really using
the term differently than any of us do. Think about it. When you're fighting or
sparring, when you're in the zone, you experience a feeling of being on, the "mind
of no mind." Seeing everything and focusing on nothing individually, feeling as if
you need not think about what you must do before you do it, perhaps not even
really looking at your opponent, you areon, simply there, confident and
dispassionate and dominant in the exchange.
Sound familiar? I know I've experienced this before in full-contact sparring. It is
also the basis for my teacher Dave's emphasis on the meditative aspects of the martial
arts. It need not be anywhere near so mystical-sounding, however. Scott breaks
down the components of the zone -- the upward performance spiral -- and explains
in scientific and physiological terms how to gain, regain, or remain in this state
of flow while pushing your opponent into the vortex, the downward performance
spiral.
You are an integrated fighter, whose breathing, movement, and alignment work
together, free of focus on technique, of intentional and conscious effort. Your task
is to remain this integrated fighter while disrupting your opponent's effort to be the
same. Some speak of taking the initiative in a fight, which is what Scott is teaching
you to do -- but it's more comprehensive than this, more involved than simply
having more momentum.
Think of the vortex as that sensation of total loss of control and helplessness that
comes when you are overwhelmed by an opponent. If you've ever sparred or
fought someone who was suddenly all over you, forcing you to cover up and hang
on for dear life, you have felt the vortex.
Scott uses a simple grid to explain psychodymanic profiling, the process of
evaluating your opponent's awareness. This breaks down as follows:
External Focus, Broad Concentration = "Attending"
External Focus, Narrow Concentration = "Intending"
Broad Concentration, Internal Focus = "Strategizing"
Narrow Concentration, Internal Focus = "Fantasizing"
In fighting, you wish to have an attending profile. Your broad awareness and
external focus enable you to be aware of what is happening and to react
automatically to it with a minimum of distraction.
When you are intending, you have become vulnerable in a fight, because you must
recover from that intention to be able to do something else. Intention thus blinds
you to what is happening. When you are strategizing, you are likewise engaged in
an activity that may leave you vulnerable. If you're focusing on a given strategy you
may be distracted by it, by the need to accomplish the end goal of that strategy.
Focus on the process, not the product, when fighting, Scott repeats.
(In a great example of the emotional arousal that can hinder flow, my Shanliang
Li green sash test culminated in a single command from my instructor: "Okay, put me
on the ground." Focusing on the need to accomplish this task, the desire to be
successful in this end goal, could quite easily have distracted me from the process
of fighting properly. A good fighter must overcome that emotional arousal or risk
entering the vortex.)
Fantasizing is the exact opposite of what you wish to experience in a fight, and
corresponds to the vortex, the downward performance spiral. An opponent who is
trapped in fantasizing -- about what he must do, or about how badly he is
performing, or about the different techniques he must consciously apply in order to
overcome your capture of the edge -- is yours to defeat.
Force your opponent out of attention and into intending, Scott says. When you
force him to think and internalize what is happening, you move him downward into
that fantasizing stage. His emotional arousal interferes with his flow and creates
density -- the tension, both psychological and physiological, that you can
manipulate to your advantage. You are, after all, seeking to manipulate his fear
reactivity through somatic profiling. (Remember that somatic profiling is
determining whether his fear reactivity is concentric, isometric, or eccentric. Is he
flinching? Is he bracing? Is he resisting?)
Scott, using a whiteboard, speaks of the relationship between psychodynamic
profiling, somatic profiling, and visceral profiling. Your visceral profile consists of
the physical manifestations of your fear reactivity -- an elevated heart rate,
accelerated breathing rate, higher blood pressure, and so forth. These are the
internal distractions that lead a fighter to the vortex.
Your performance in a fight, Scott explains, is inextricably tied to your
psychological, somatic, and visceral orientations. What is your state of
mind? What is your state of fear reactivity? How is your muscular tension, your
heart rate, your breathing?
Your primary strategy is to move your opponent from the broad concentration of
attending to the narrower concentration ofintending. The performance spiral,
therefore, can be expressed as a strategy for combat. It can be expressed in
terms of flow state characteristics. This is not as complicated as it sounds. When
you flow, you are doing precisely what you must do to be in the zone. Scott
explains the flow state characteristics in detail:
Perception of control. Your ability to seamlessly transition from one aspect of
awareness to another, to match your psychodynamic profile to the task at hand, to
broaden or narrow your focus internally or externally as needed, gives you a sense
of control of the situation.
Predictability. This is the natural outcome of your broad awareness and your
ability to respond automatically to what is offered.
Indistractability. This is perhaps the most important manifestation of the upward
performance spiral. When you are not easily distracted, your recovery time from
the unexpected and from perceived errors is minimized. The longer an opponent is
distracted, the greater is his reactionary gap. As Scott says repeatedly,
performance overrides precision. Focus on recovery time to increase your
toughness, your ability to gain and remain in the zone.
Time warp. In times of stress our sense of time becomes distorted. Our sense of
time likewise changes when we broaden our focus and become aware of as much
as possible around us. When you see more, when you are aware of more, time
seems to slow. Your opponent, who -- in the downward performance spiral -- is
aware of less, experiences a sense that time is moving faster and that he has less
time to react.
Pre-conscious processing. This is a difficult abstract concept for some. I tend to
think of it in Eastern terms; that is, the mind of no mind, the state of awareness
and of immediate doing associated with flow and with a non-technique, non-
intentional focus.
Scott goes on, appropriately, to speak of non-intentional striking -- the ability to
deliver force without focusing on specific blows. Our strategy is one of attentional
saturation, accounting for all variables and behaving almost proactively in acting
automatically. Pre-conscious processing is the ability to respond instantly. "Fast
isn't soon enough," Scott says. "It has to be instant."
Psychospatial acuity. This is the sense of looking at nothing while seeing
everything. It is the difference between, say, focusing on the opponent's hands, or
his shoulders, or even his center, and seeing all parts of him while focusing on no
one portion.
Performance expectation. This is something with which I grapple often. When
my preconceived notion of how I will perform does not match my actual
performance, I become distressed and distracted. A fighter in flow state
has realisticexpectations of his or her performance. In the zone, your performance
exceeds your expectations, whereas in the vortex, your performance comes up
short compared to those expectations.
Scott next defines the vortex, the downward performance spiral, in detail. A
mistake or the unexpected triggers a narrowing of focus. Visceral arousal results
in internal distractions, which prompt the fighter to apply conscious effort to
overcome them in executing techniques. Psychospatial and psychotemporal
distortion cause the fighter to develop an inaccurate picture of what is happening
and how quickly it is happening. This results in the fight becoming unpredictable,
which produces anxiety, worry, doubt, fear, and other negative emotions. This in
turn triggers further narrowing of focus, and the downward spiral continues swirling
into the depths of the vortex. It's a negative feedback loop.
You can halt the downward performance spiral, Scott explains, by letting go of
distractions and mistakes. Broaden your focus to bring about visceral
control. When a fighter in the zone experiences a mistake or the unexpected, he
or she broadens his or her focus. This leads to visceral control and
indistractability. These, in turn, permit pre-conscious processing and
psychospatial/psychotemporal acuity. The result is that the exchange is
predictable, which produces confidence and courage. This leads to a greater
broadening of focus, and the upward performance spiral continues on.
Wrapping up this lengthy discussion of the theory behind peak performance
pugilism, Scott compares the zone to the vortex:
VORTEX ZONE
Intention Attention
Opportunity Differentiation
Ability Integration
Density Plasticity
Aggression -- intention -- prompts a fighter in the vortex to find an opening (an
opportunity) and, using his delivery system, apply a specific weapon to it using
conscious effort. He is tense, experiencing density. A fighter in the zone, by
contrast, is aware and relaxed. He or she is capable of determining what is and is
not a valid threat, neutralizing whatever is presented. The integration of breathing,
movement, and alignment leads to plasticity, the state of fluidity attainable by
human beings. (We have articulated skeletons and therefore cannot be completely
fluid, but we can be plastic rather than dense.)
This simple comparison sums up quite well the difference between what Scott
describes as the zone and the vortex. It is the difference between being distracted
and being aware, between being tense and being relaxed, between being
defensive and being confidently dominant.
FLOW STATE PERFORMANCE SPIRAL
"Enter The Zone and Impose the Vortex"
The conceptual discussion from Tape 3.1 continues on this tape, as Scott
describes "Losin' the Edge," the factors that lead to being pushed from the zone
into the vortex.
Somatosensory signature. Imposing a somatosensory signature on your
opponent means disrupting his balance, changing the architecture of his limbs, or
inflicting trauma.
Somatic profile. This refers once again to flinching, bracing, or resisting.
Visceral profile. An opponent losing the edge has tense muscles, a high heart
rate, an increased breathing rate, and so forth.
Density. The tension created and the internal distractions generated when
entering the vortex are things of which you can take advantage in taking the edge
from your opponent.
Recovery process. The opponent's recovery process determines whether he is
gaining or losing the edge. Inhibit his ability to let go of distractions by
adding more distractions as you take the edge.
In gaining or regaining the edge, Scott explains the factors necessary to take or
retake the initiative, to reenter the zone.
Recovery process. Just as in losing the edge, your recovery process determines
whether you are heading down or up the performance spiral.
Crisis intervention. This is the psychological focus on the process, not the
product, as described in Tape 3.1.
Somatic and visceral engineering. This consists of reintegrating your breathing,
movement, and alignment in order to apply visceral control over your body's
processes.
Reintegration strategy. Your strategy for reintegrating your breathing,
movement, and alignment consists of depolarizing your structure (undoing the
flinching, bracing, or resisting caused by your fear reactivity), equalizing pressure
(exhaling when contracting, for example), and mobilizing your architecture (when
you are relaxed, you can move).
In the next segment, we again switch to the very yellow lighting of a fighting ring, in
which Scott talks about power, control, and timing. These are your abilities to
designate your awareness appropriately, keep that awareness focused, and shift
back and forth as needed for circumstantial performance needs.
Scott describes kinesthetic, visual, and cognitive cues in detail. Visual cues
include where the opponent looks. Kinesthetic cues involve detecting his
alignment (balance), structure, and joint integrity. Cognitive cues comprise the
difference between declarative and procedural statements, between focusing on
the product and focusing on the process. (Declarative statements would include
these: "This sucks! I'm performing poorly! I'm going to lose!")
Visual, kinesthetic, and cognitive cues all lead to distractability or
indistractability. Think of the cues, Scott explains, as a way to increase your
indistractability, to remain focused.
The next sequences on the tape consist of a slipping drill and a pummeling
drill. These drills help you to see the appropriate manner in which to flow into the
opponent, establishing a dominant position by imposing kinesthetic cues on
him. As the training partners move from fluid to dynamic drills, the pummeling and
slipping are combined, with special emphasis paid to "turning the tide" -- shifting
who possesses the "edge" in the exchange. Like the ring sequences earlier in
the Fisticuffs series, these demonstrates bear repeated watching. I doubt I can do
them justice here. The dynamic drills are particularly fun to watch, though, and
they get fairly serious, with gloves and headgear.
One point Scott pauses to make is particularly worth repeating here. Stress-
induced analgesia, the natural toughening an opponent experiences when
engaged in conflict, can reduce his perception of pain and render ineffective
techniques that rely on pain compliance. Keep that in mind, both in the ring and on
"the street."
Scott concludes the series with his thoughts on the drills and on training in
general. "Performance overrides precision," he says again. "This should not be
pretty. It should be ugly."
"Physical conditioning," he adds, "is the platform for everything you do." You
should practice every day in a positive, supportive environment. "Go tribal," Scott
exclaims, stressing the importance of such an environment. Everything you do
should be training. Strive to become indistractable. Visualize positive flow state.
Just as the Leg Fencing series helped me in sparring with leg work, Fisticuffs has
enhanced my upper body fighting ability. The principles Scott espouses are sound
ones -- not just for fighting, but for life in general.
HYPER-FUNCTION
Scott opens the series by explaining that he's "teaching you how to fish." Embrace
the principles and training strategies contained in IOUF, he says, and you can
create techniques based on those strategies. These comprise fundamentals
missing in much martial art training today, he asserts. He begins by explaining two
important concepts in IOUF: hyperfunction and the triangle point.
The body has its own survival instincts, righting reflexes that work against attempts
to use dysfunction to flex joints to create pain or facilitate takedowns. Rather than
use dysfunction to work against this righting reflex, Scott advocates using the joint
in the manner it is designed to function -- but causing it to move beyond the
opponent's point of balance, thus inducing what Scott calls hyperfunction.
Think about it: a typical wrist lock relies on dysfunction, such as jerking the
opponent's wrist in a direction it is not meant to go. He will respond automatically
to "right" himself and escape that dysfunction. If, instead, you manipulate his wrist
in a direction it is meant to go -- but which was not his idea -- he cannot stop you
from taking his balance.
(In Arthrokinetics, Scott goes into hyperfunction in more detail, discussing the four
anatomical regions of joint manipulation as they relate specifically to appropriate
tactical strategies.)
In explaining the triangle point, Scott points out that your feet can be connected by
an invisible line. Any line perpendicular to that first line indicates a breach
of stance integrity. (Combatives expert Carl Cestari describes using this line
perpendicular to the line connecting the enemy's feet to direct your attack for
maximum efficacy. It is a sound principle. The centerline is also the most
important concept in Wing Chun and it is easy to see how all these arts and systems
tie together.)
Extend those perpendicular lines to a point either in front of or behind the line
connecting the feet. What you see are two triangle points -- the points to which you
can bring your opponent to take him off balance. By causing his body to
"overfunction" and driving him towards a triangle point, you may throw him at
will. Hyperfunction is thus the way you manipulate the opponent's joints to bring
him to that triangle point.
Studying the head and neck and the pivot joint they comprise, Scott goes into more
detail about the difference between hyperfunction and dysfunction. When
dysfunction is induced, the body moves defensively when a joint is moved beyond
its range of motion, counteracting the energies directed against it. Using
hyperfunction, by comparison, "loads" the joints to facilitate motion. There's no
defense against this because it is simply how the joints are meant to work. You
take advantage of your opponent's body mechanics and move him without his
consent. In the examples that follow, we see that the body naturally moves to the
triangle point, where balance fails.
Moving on to the ball and socket joint that is the shoulder, Scott looks at how to
"load" and "unload" the joint. Use this to naturally take the opponent to his triangle
point by moving his body in the way it was designed to function, Scott urges. In so
doing you "disinhibit" his reflexes and bracing mechanisms -- because there is no
dysfunction against which to react.
Continuing his discussion of the shoulder, Scott explains that the fulcrum of your
throw is between the two levers of that throw, not at the grab point. This idea
transitions nicely into his treatment of force vectors, another key point in IOUF.
Understand the physiology of the human body, Scott says, and you understand
that we are highly articulated, three-dimensional creatures. The directions in which
our joints are designed to move are limited and specific. When you understand
this, you begin to see the opponent's joints as traveling along force vectors --
directions along which you can move them, in the manner for which they were
designed, to cause hyperfunction and take the opponent to the triangle point.
Discussing the elbow, Scott's treatment of force vectors begins in earnest. Your
body naturally loads and unloads in certain directions, he explains, so apply force
along that vector. Don't push against those force vectors. Follow them. Look at
the "bony levers" that operate your opponent's body and you will begin to see
where he is vulnerable. Numerous examples follow. In them, Scott explains the
difference between the spastic reactions induced by dysfunction and the natural
descent to the triangle point facilitated by hyperfunction.
The entire treatment of force vectors reminded me yet again of the balance
exercise my Shanliang Li teacher and I have practiced that he calls "Indian
Wrestling." The drill teaches the importance of learning to yield when pulled or
pushed. If you offer resistance, your partner has something against which to push
to put you off balance. If instead you learn to givewhen force is offered, and
to push or pull when tension is presented, you will win every time. (I referred to
this drill earlier in my Leg Fencing review.)
In order to be able to induce hyperfunction, it is important to expand your own
range of motion. Scott demonstrates performing "infinities" with the arms in both
directions (drills discussed in more detail in the Fisticuffs series). You're looking to
"snake in," Scott explains. You're not seeking to force the opponent's body to
move.
In a lengthy segment on the "biomechanics of gripping" (which hints at the content
of Volume 2 in the series), Scott explains how to vastly improve your ability to
grab. A standard "monkey grip," something each of us does instinctively, involves
grabbing on top with the thumb. Don't do this, Scott says. Instead, start with your
pinky and grab in on each joint, curling into the grasp. Wrap underneath and
you've created a much more secure grip.
Several examples of techniques that can be improved with this gripping technique
follow. These include the following helpful tips:
When performing a standard overhook, grab with your pinky from the
bottom, bringing your elbow in and down. The opponent can't bring his arm
up to get out when you do that.
When controlling the shoulder in an underhook, don't use muscle. Pull your
shoulder toward the opponent, forward into your grasp.
The standard response to a wrist grab is to move against the thumb. Don't
monkey grip. Instead, grip with the pinky first, wrap flesh, and anchor with
your thumb on top.
In a two-hand grab from behind, locking with a finger cup or laced fingers
just isn't strong enough. Place the meat of your palms against each other
with the thumbs to make a "butterfly" shape. You've brought the force
vectors together in a manner that actually gets stronger as the opponent
resists.
Going back to arm infinities, Scott explains that a "Japanese Strangle" relies
on the flexing of muscles. Screw your muscles together and increase the
force vectors for maximum effect.
Scott goes on to explain just how to grab an arm to facilitate using force
vectors. As long as your focus is hyperfunction, you can literally grab the opponent
anywhere. He explains how to control various points on the torso, controlling and
dominating the opponent's centerline. Look at grabbing, Scott repeats, in the
context of force vectors -- how to putstructure in the way.
Two individuals engaged in single combat are locked in a relationship of force
vectors. "At any point, any throw," Scott intones. Your partner depends on you for
balance, and you can throw him at will if you understand those force vectors. (This
hints at Volume 3, Joint Mass Center.)
Throughout Volume 1 (and the entire IOUF series, for that matter), explanations of
techniques are accompanied and followed by demonstrations and drills performed
by Scott and his training partners. The last segment in Tape 1, however, is
comprised of archival footage of live grappling sessions. This is great to see (even
if the public domain music leaves a little bit to be desired).
To be honest, though, Volume 1 (while its explanation of force vectors and proper
gripping is fundamental to tapes 2 and 3) only scratches the surface of what makes
IOUF truly worthwhile. The first time I viewed it, I came away with a better
understanding of physical gripping and a vague idea about how to manipulate the
opponent's joints. The concepts had not yet come together for me, though. For
me, true understanding would come a little later in the series.
QUANTUM GRIPPING
In Volume 2, Scott explains that the ability to grab everywhere simultaneously is
the fundamental concept behind the tape. He hopes to teach you to manipulate
the opponent's body to throw at will. The tape discusses three tactics: grip
releases, grip counters, and grip confirmations.
Describing the frame of the human body, Scott explains that your arms can be in
the upper, middle, or lower frame at any given time. That is, they can be straight
up, straight out, or straight down (or positioned somewhere along those
points). By screwing your arms, placing them in and screwing them over, you can
see the rotational value in entering on your opponent. Screwing increases the
tendon wrap and facilitates the force vector when you grab.
Scott demonstrates this wrapping and screwing from one frame to the next. "Look
at the fulcrum of your bony levers," he explains. He describes how to capture
(confirm) the opponent's grasp, release that grasp, or counter that grasp to create
a grasp of your own.
Several specific grabbing scenarios follow. When your jacket is grabbed, for
example, you can move your elbow down and screw upwards to the upper frame to
take the opponent off you. Scott demonstrates using all three options --
confirming, releasing, and countering -- from low, middle, and upper frame. He
also demonstrates how to take one into the other, such as taking a release into a
counter and asserting a grasp of your own.
Immobilization (confirmation of a grasp) isn't a submission hold, Scott points out. It
is taking the opponent's joint to its furthest range of motion to stop him. Scott then
goes on to demonstrate variations on counters to sleeve holds. Elements of Leg
Fencing are apparent here and remind the savvy viewer that all of Scott's tapes are
interconnected and reinforce one another.
As more variations on this theme were presented, things started to make sense to
me. The whole body of concepts is really very simple. Confirmations, releases,
and counters to grasps, combined with the essential "screwing motion" of the limbs
and a recognition of where the opponent's triangle points are, take a lot more time
to list and describe than to recognize and apply.
Going into more detail on counters, Scott states flatly that "A great throw is
less. Less energy, less movement, less effort." This is one of those slogans I find
myself repeating more and more. Taking advantage of the way your opponent's
body works, refusing to muscle through him or fight his natural reflexes, is the
essence of performance enhancement -- because it removes obstacles. Refusing
to fight force on force is also an important principle in Wing Chun (and many other
arts), so it is something to which most readers can relate immediately.
In the next segment, Scott repeats his admonition against using joint dysfunction
maneuvers. Allow your opponent to move away from pain to facilitate takedowns,
he explains. When dealing with grabs to the arm, he says, "Think of where the
force vectors are to facilitate your throws... How to control his joints in such a
manner that the throw is easy and you end up in a position of mechanical
advantage."
Going (back to) lapel grabs, Scott demonstrates rolling the shoulder over to
counter the grasp. We can hammer it off to release it, or we can drive him forward
to take him off. This segment introduces, briefly, the concepts behind "jacket
fencing" -- keeping the opponent's grasp or launching him if you so choose.
The tape again started to come together for me as Scott explained the
"unstoppable force" part of the series title. Combine an understanding of force
vectors with one of hyperfunction and your opponent is already thrown, Scott
explains. When he has a hold on you, look at the force vector of his grasp and
push along it to take him to his triangle point. It's that simple.
The following segment on "renovation" really goes to the heart of why I like Scott's
material so much. Much of Coach Sonnon's training curriculum involves taking
existing techniques and "renovating" them to make them more efficient. This
enhances the performance of any martial art, be it Judo, Ju Jitsu, Sambo, or my
own Wing Chun and Shanliang Li training.
The next portion of the tape deals with front belt grabs, which are attempts to
control the lunar plexus. Scott demonstrates how to confirm, release, or counter
such maneuvers. There are numerous options available to you. Using a
confirmation, for example, you can throw your opponent or walk him around the
room.
There is a section involving manipulating the material of your jacket to confirm the
opponent's grasp. This entails actually using the fabric of your gi to facilitate the
capturing of the enemy's grip (by rolling over it). While manipulations of this type
are probably not applicable to most street defenses (rarely do most people's
clothes have that amount of slack) this is still interesting knowledge to
possess. Certainly this will be of interest to sports-oriented martial artists.
To facilitate lifting, Scott explains how to use the structure of your body. The spine
moves through a wave motion; articulate your spine and use your structure to roll
your opponent and take him down. (Wave motion is also only one function of your
spine. Another is shock absorption. This immediately reminded me of the material
in Leg Fencing in which Scott explains how to absorb and mitigate the shock of the
opponent's blows.) One of the reasons lifting with one's structure is so important is
that trying to use muscle dooms you to the limitations of your strength. Your
muscle may fade, but your structure will not -- so use it to throw. Don't try to bull
through your opponent or pick him up with brute effort.
During the next sequence Scott discusses range. "Range is not a tactical option,"
he states. "It's a biomotor relationship." You do not control range so much as you
must deal with it (through "range compression") to use your weapons at the
appropriate "depths." Scott demonstrates moving from far range to the
treacherous "middle ground" to the engagement of shoulders and hips, finally
reaching the "intimate" range of spine to spine. Different tactical operations
become relevant at the different ranges, but not because we mentally divide our
ranges and techniques. It's a joint relationship, to Scott's thinking. Your distance to
the opponent makes some strategies and tools more relevant than others.
In looking through my notes, I noticed that I chose to make a notation at this
point. It's true that Scott speaks a very specific language, driven by his profession
as an athletic coach and by his scientific approach to the mechanics of the martial
arts. If you have trouble understanding what he's saying, however, ignore
him. That's right; I said to ignore him. If you follow along and do what he does as
he demonstrates it, without necessarily worrying about the verbiage he uses, you
will catch on -- because while the concepts he describes sound complex, they are
actually very simple when applied. Eventually you will pick up what he's trying to
say, comparing it to the physical expressions you've already grasped, and the two
will make sense together.
Scott pauses to explain what he describes as IOUF's most "startling" concept so
far: Training "secrets" are concealed by our myopia only. They aren't mystical,
magical truths revealed to worthy seekers. The things we miss are missed simply
because we do not look at the larger picture, instead fixating on portions of it to the
exclusion of the truth. Scott then explains that you must bring together spinal
loading (the "wave" motion) with the use of the shoulders, elbows, and wrists as
previously described. You become an "unstoppable force" -- an athlete capable of
throwing your opponents at will, regardless of from where you grasp them.
Scott goes on to explain the difference between a parallel force system and
a concurrent force system. Rather than moving some portion of your opponent
one way while another part of him moves in reaction (parallel), exert concurrent
force by both pulling and pushing to move your opponent in a third direction (the
triangle point -- get it?).
IOUF, therefore, is simple physics in action.
The remainder of the tape consists of many different examples of IOUF's principles
in action. This is a long tape -- 97 minutes long, according to the label. Scott
definitely does not skimp for the sake of dragging out the series and selling more
volumes. He urges the viewer to pay attention to how footwork changes force
vectors with relationship to the locking arm and the power transfer (clinch concepts
covered, for example, in Leg Fencing).
The "renovation" concept is also reinforced as Scott explains it here. He is seeking
to find more efficient ways to do what is traditionally taught in arts such as Sambo,
Judo, and Ju Jitsu. (That efficiency is accomplished through recognition of force
vectors.) This is perhaps what is best about Scott's material. It is, at the very
least, what I get out of it personally. It improves what I do and augments the arts I
study. I believe martial artists of practically any style will find that Scott's teaching
does the same for them.
After touching briefly on how hyperfunction and quantum gripping relate to the joint
mass center (hinting at the content of Volume 3, which includes the fundamentals
of Leg Fencing), Scott pauses to recommend the Russian Sambo
Encyclopedia. Additional training footage follows. I have to admit that I enjoy the
training footage most of all, as it illustrates the principles previously discussed
without distracting commentary.
JOINT MASS CENTER
"He who controls the middle," Scott announces, "controls the fight." Just
what is the middle is the topic of Volume 3.
Scott starts with an analysis of the pelvis. Comparable to the shoulder in its
function, the pelvis and an understanding of its rotation and tilt are key to a three-
dimensional understanding of throws. Conventional throws are, by contrast, two-
dimensional.
To explain the difference between hyperfunction and dysfunction in the lower body,
Scott demonstrates how the muscles of the body engage to counteract attempts to
force the body's joints against their ranges of motion. He then describes how to
use hyperfunction to, for example, screw the opponent's leg outward in its natural
range of motion. This throws him. He literally cannot stop you. This discussion
links to the previous description of the triangle point: you either move the
opponent's body to that point or its opposite (there are two triangle points to every
stance). Remove a joint and you collapse the opponent to that point. Use your
whole body and you can manipulate him to make the throw happen.
Discussing the ankle (which is remarkably vulnerable), Scott shows the viewer how
to rotate the ankle to take down the rest of the body. (Yet again we see the
importance of the "screwing" motion that is so common in Scott's teaching.) He
goes on to explain how the legs are attached to the pelvic girdle. Manipulating one
leg affects the other leg.
Reviewing arm and spine "infinities," the figure-eight motion that is integral to so
much of Scott's work, Scott demonstrates infinities with the legs. This material
predates the Leg Fencing series, but it is simply a condensed presentation of the
expanded Leg Fencing curriculum.
Leg fencing tactics, Scott says, don't exist. Do not compartmentalize the tactics,
he explains -- they are tools, not techniques. He breaks them down arbitrarily in
order to present them to the viewer, but he urges that they not be taken
dogmatically. Using the basic figure-eight motion, the leg-fencer improvises
techniques relevant to the situation.
Key to all the leg fencing drills and demonstrations are the infinities and that
screwing motion I've mentioned frequently. Scott explains that your goal is to
screw your opponent's limbs (and thus his body) to the ground using hyperfunction
to drive him to either of his triangle points. Be mindful of your own position. The
less contact you have with the ground, the less control you have.
All of the leg fencing tactics are accompanied by numerous demonstrations. They
include the following:
The trip. Don't lead with your legs, Scott cautions. The trip is not leg-
driven. Use your whole body.
The post. The post involves joining with the opponent's supporting leg. It
requires the articulation of your leg, because it is a movement of your whole
appendage. The post can be launched with the knee.
The sweep. The sweep requires rhythm and timing. To sweep, you must
move with your opponent's motion to capture him at the end of that
motion. You are not chopping -- you are rotating in the middle of the leg to
take away his balance before he transfers to his supporting leg.
The reap. The reap takes the opponent's balance by moving yours.
The hook. The hook involves lacing one of the opponent's legs.
The elevator. The elevator has characteristics of the hook, reap, post, and
even the sweep. It is inserted (obviously) to elevate the opponent.
So where does leg fencing fit in the context of IOUF? Combine it with a means of
generating power -- your pelvis -- and you use your lower body to throw at will
while keeping your own balance. Pelvic mobility, Scott explains, determines inertia
while two opponents are in the clinch (typically grasping each other's
jackets). Scott walks through a drill with his training partners, Ben Brackbill and
Scott Fabel, in which the pelvis is used as the generator to release leg fencing
tactics. Locate the joint mass center, Scott says, referring to the volume title, and
you find the perfect throw. (Don't do less than optimal work, he reminds us. The
best you can hope to do in reality is the worst you've achieved in training.)
Before going into footwork, Scott explains that there is no such thing as being on
balance while standing. Standing is a balancing act in itself. Using the leg infinity
motion, Scott demonstrates placing the feet at 45 angles, leading from the pelvis,
which alters the triangle point to conceal it from an attacker as one walks.
Footwork, Scott says, forms the relationship of balance between two
people. Footwork is biomotor, not tactical. It's a chess game of hiding our triangle
points from the opponent, a system of maneuvers with the lower body.
One of the ways this is done is through the box step, covered thoroughly in
the Leg Fencing series. To be honest, I don't think I processed the actual
application of the box step the first time I viewed Leg Fencing. This is a
great example of how Scott's tapes reinforce one another. IOUF helped me
to understand properly just why the box step is useful.
The linear/lateral shuffle is a means of side stepping. It is not truly
"shuffling." The pelvis is used as the generator for the movement (and if
you play this sequence on fast-forward, Scott moves eerily like Elvis).
The slingshot is a renovation of the traditional shoot. It draws back,
establishes rooting (an important concept in both the martial arts I study),
and fires forward.
Screwing knees are a means of stepping forward and changing direction
without taking consciously defined steps. Use the knee as a generator to
turn around in a fluid motion. Once again, the pelvis generates the power
for the motion.
For me, Volume 3 was the tape during which I finally "got it." I finally understood
the full implications of the IOUF series as I watched the discussion and
demonstrations on the joint mass center.
A fight, Scott explains, is a "biomotor relationship" with another person. The joint
mass center is the point between those two people that is their single center of
balance. Control that center of balance, that joint mass center, and you control the
fight.
Defensiveness, Scott points out, limits your training potential. Two people in the
clinch who are defensive each have two supporting legs. (Such a stance is hard to
break.) At some point, one of the two will become aggressive and move from two
supporting legs to one or two driving legs. That individual becomes vulnerable as
a result.
The most important concept in IOUF, I believe, is what Scott describes
as redefining this biomotor relationship. By taking the joint mass center, sinking
into your opponent and using him as support for your mass, you control the
middle. Leg fencing, jacket fencing, and pelvic inertia come together (and came
together for me in my understanding of them) here. When you use your opponent
in this fashion and take control of the joint mass center, he has two supporting
legs, while you have a third supporting leg -- and, most importantly, a left
over mobile leg. That mobile leg gives you the advantage.
Another important idea discussed here is that of coming in perpendicular to the line
connecting the opponent's two supporting legs. When you do this, swinging your
pelvis in, your "third" supporting leg (for in the clinch the two of you form a creature
with four arms, four legs, and one center of balance) is in the triangle point. This
is what makes you animmovable object. Scott explains and demonstrates how to
move and keep your supporting leg in the triangle point, which makes it virtually
impossible for you to be thrown.
"You're not throwing him," Scott asserts. "You're throwing 'us.'" While you are off
your individual balance in the clinch like this, the two of you are not, because you
have a single point of balance (the joint mass center). Use your mobile leg to
remove one of the opponent's supporting legs and you throw him at will. Don't try
to keep your own balance. Use the opponent and take the joint mass center.
Lengthy demonstrations follow, in which Scott and his training partners work
through fluid drills concerning taking or reclaiming (through such techniques as leg
threading and the "sprawl") the joint mass center, throwing the opponent, and
keeping the supporting leg in the triangle point to prevent being thrown. Of
particular interest in these segments is the notion of using your structure, sinking in
under the joint mass center, to facilitate lifting. A much smaller individual can lift a
larger opponent with ease when using structure and positioning rather than muscle
power. We see this in action several times.
There are a series of demonstrations involving grasping the opponent, or being
grasped, around the waist. The importance of using the spine as a lever is
discussed, too. I mention this specifically because... and I am not making this up...
this is the first instructional martial arts tape I have viewed that includes a
demonstration of the atomic wedgie.
Grabbing Scott Fabel's belt, Coach Sonnon tells us that we should shove along the
vector of the opponent's spine. He manages to comment on ripping the opponent's
pants clean off with a mostly straight face, even as he appears to be ripping the
waistband of Fabel's pants clear off the man's body. I think I saw a piece of the
fabric on the floor during the following demonstrations.
Taking or reclaiming the joint mass center is the difficult part of this, Scott tells
us. Everything that happens after that is easy by comparison. Put these principles
into practice -- hyperfunction, quantum gripping, an understanding of force vectors,
and a focus on the joint mass center -- and you will throw your opponent easily
while stopping him from throwing you. As I've said a few times now, the
explanations may seem complex, but the scientific principles used are actually very
simple in their applications.
"I intend to make you all a wonderful blend of neurogeek and knuckledragger,"
Scott explains. "Expand your training vision. That is the key to performance
enhancement."
The first tape in the series, T.O.P. Tool Development, focuses on drills that help
you build the foundation for Leg Fencing. Scott makes the distinction several times
between this and what he calls "foot fighting." Fighting with the legs as Scott
teaches it is a whole-body endeavor that uses your entire physical "architecture."
Scott explains that the purpose of the tape's exercises is to improve your T.O.P. --
your Threshold of Performance. He refers once again to the definitions of "hard"
work and "soft" work defined in his Flow Fighting video. "Hard" work is work that
improves your threshold of pain, while "soft" work is work that improves your
threshold of what Scott calls "fear reactivity." Fear reactivity, he explains,
expresses itself physically as tension. A relaxed fighter has better focus. "If you
can't stay relaxed in a force on force simulation," Scott warns, "you won't be able to
stay relaxed in a fight."
The sound quality of instructional videos is almost universally mediocre. This tape
was not much different. I had to increase the volume with each new segment in
order to hear Scott, as the recording levels seemed to decrease each time. Apart
from that the track was audible and I had no trouble understanding what was being
said.
Video quality is okay too, though the cloth backdrop used is lighted with different
colored lights in a manner I found distracting and a little dim. I did not notice as
many intermittent recording lines as I did in the Flow Fighting tape. Camera angles
change as needed without becoming spastic or unsettling, with frequent close-ups
on Scott's feet and legs to illustrate techniques.
The first solo exercise on the tape is a four-corner balance drill. Scott mentions the
"visual search engine" and tells the viewer to imagine that an invisible tether
connects his or her eyes to a spot on the floor. Looking around a lot will disrupt
one's balance, he explains -- and proceeds to run through a series of movements
while standing on one leg and moving or extending the other.
I was absolutely amazed at Scott's balance and control. He moves as if his body is
on pulleys -- though at the completion of the exercise he admits that it isn't as easy
as he makes it look. "You should feel an enormity of pain in your planted leg," he
says, smiling. "It should feel like your foot's on fire."
Solo Exercise 2 is called "Leg Infinities." It is intended to build foot strength
(though it will also enhance knee strength). "If you want to excel at Leg Fencing,"
Scott explains, "it has to come from the foundation first." Once again balancing on
his planted leg, he moves his mobile leg in a series of figure-eight patterns. "If
there are bumps in the movement," he continues, seemingly taking no notice of the
exertion, "that's where you have a limitation. That limitation is fear reactivity in your
tissues." That fear reactivity, as previously mentioned, is expressed as tension,
which causes the limitation.
If you can do only one of the exercises on this tape, Scott recommends Solo
Exercise 3, the "Rock-up Deck Squat with a Kick." That's kind of a tongue twister,
and I gather from the impish way Scott repeats it that he knows it is. The exercise
is designed to improve your leg strength and flexibility while improving your ability
to coordinate your respiration with the motions.
The rock-up deck squat with a kick is not a Hindu Squat or a bar squat, but
something better seen than described here. Scott talks the viewer through the
exercise -- but not before stating, "You will do them with me." Between the carrot
and the stick, Scott explains, he prefers the stick. I don't imagine many of the
athletes with whom he works would want to argue with his training suggestions,
either. He has a way of being both incredibly friendly and undeniably motivating all
at the same time.
Making the transition from tool development to tool application, Scott demonstrates
two shock absorption exercises. Shock Absorption 1, the "Battering Ram," is
"hard" work rather than "soft" work. Raising his leg, Scott pulls his knee back into
his chest, exhaling with each impact. The battering ram exercise will improve your
flexibility, your dynamic range of motion, and your ability to absorb blows.
Throughout this exercise, as with all the exercises on the tape, Scott explains what
he's doing as he's doing it. He points out common mistakes and problems, too,
anticipating any difficulties the student may experience. Rarely, if ever, does his
calm and self-assured voice waver, even when he's explaining something in the
midst of a strenuous drill. He's so relaxed that it's easy to forget he's doing things
that would have most of us howling over our sore muscles.
The second shock absorption exercise is "Shin Lifts," in which the battering ram
exercise is applied to different ranges of motion. Scott emphasizes one of the
most important concepts in all fighting, not to mention Leg Fencing: that
of rootinginto the ground to maintain your balance (and thus your ability to
fight). He also stresses the importance of proper respiration. "Exhalation is the
trigger for you to keep your presence of mind in melee," he says.
There are four different footwork exercises on the tape. In the "Accordion"
exercise, Scott shows you how to drill using your entire foot for propulsion and
balance. As always, he looks light on his feet and in superb control as he rotates
his feet and shifts his weight from one to the other.
The second footwork exercise, "Fencer's Advance," looks like just that -- a means
of advancing in a linear fashion. Scott builds on the previous drills as he explains
this one. This is not new. Scott consistently builds on previous exercises as he
explains new ones, which lends a nice sense of continuity to the training regimen
he is outlining.
In the third footwork exercise, "Slingshot," Scott demonstrates how to store "elastic
energy" in your rear leg. He withdraws his leg and "loads" it with elastic energy
that can be released forward. One should make this movement habitual. "You
don't need a stance in order to be in balance," Scott says. "Your balance is in
motion. ...Stability through mobility."
The fourth and final footwork exercise brings the other drills together in the "Box
Step," a balanced means of moving in which one foot steps forward as the other
steps behind it. The body turns and the legs are constantly in motion, stepping
through the pattern. The box step is never stationary, Scott says. It is a means of
hiding your balance point through movement.
The box step is not, however, a fighting technique. It is an exercise, and Scott
threatens to hit you with the videotape if he ever catches you trying to make it a
technique. Use the box step to develop rhythm, timing, and movement, he
encourages.
Bringing in a pair of training partners, Scott explains 5 "games." These are partner
drills that help one apply the skills developed through the previous exercises. In
the first, the "Back to Back Push," Scott's assistants stand back to back and
attempt to shove each other off screen. Both men drop down as they push,
attempting to lower their centers of gravity for better leverage. Your ability to grip
into the ground determines your ability to make a supporting leg and a driving leg,
Scott points out. He refuses to reveal the secret of the exercise -- but explains that
it's at the beginning of the video.
In Game 2, "Arm-Lace Pull/Carry," the two partners lace their arms and stand back
to back before attempting to pull the other off camera. The drill repeatedly goes to
the man who first lifts his partner off the ground and carries him away. The secret,
Scott again hints, is at the beginning of the tape. "Rock-up deck squat with a kick,"
he says quietly.
The third game is a "Shoulder Push." The opponents push on each other's
shoulders, as you might expect. I noticed that each time one of the men managed
to push his partner off camera, the partner's legs were bent but parallel. The
"winner" of the exercise, by contrast, had his legs apart in a position similar to a
simple Karate front stance. The difference in leverage between the two
configurations is obvious.
The fourth game is a "Wrist Pull," in which the partners grab each other's wrists
and attempt once again to pull each other off camera. These exercises are
fascinating to watch. You learn truly to appreciate the difference that leg
placement, weight distribution, and body positioning make in one's balance.
I was also reminded of a balance exercise my own teacher and I have practiced
that he calls "Indian Wrestling." The drill teaches the importance of learning
to yield when pulled or pushed. If you offer resistance, your partner has something
against which to push to put you off balance. If instead you learn to give when
force is offered, and to push or pull when tension is presented, you will win every
time.
In the fifth and last game, "One Leg cross-Wrist Pull," each partner holds one leg
up and behind him while grabbing the other's free arm. The hopping tug-of-war
that results is quite a sight -- and makes one appreciate the four-corner balance
drill.
Scott concludes the tape by reminding the viewer that games should be fun. If you
can't laugh, if you can't enjoy what you are doing, then you shouldn't come back
the next day. But fun does not mean the absence of challenge, Scott
explains. The lowest common denominator in your training should be that all of the
participants leave feeling fulfilled.
This is a great cassette that will help you acquire and develop the skills, flexibility,
strength, and coordination necessary to fight effectively with your legs. Scott is
always enjoyable to watch and has a great on-screen presence.
The material he imparts is clear, methodically presented, and adequately
explained. It is not, however, easy to do. Work along with Scott while viewing this
tape and your legs will be screaming for mercy long before you're even halfway
through.
But, hey, you try telling him you won't do it.
The production values of Tape 2A are similar to those of the first tape. The sound
level of the intro and outtro music is too loud when compared to Scott's speaking
voice, though this is a minor complaint. Closer shots of Scott and his training
partners are fine, and the camera moves up and down as needed to capture torso
and leg movement. Wide shots, in which the camera pans back to reveal more of
the color-lighted background, appear a bit dim in comparison to the closer shots.
Everything on the tape is visible and audible.
The tape begins with a brief discussion of Scott's formulae for "hard" work (the
threshold of pain, or your effectiveness -- opportunity over risk) and "soft" work (the
threshold of "fear reactivity, or your efficiency -- useful work over total work). We
are, he explains, working towards two simultaneous goals: to increase our
effectiveness while increasing our efficiency. If the best you can hope for in a fight
is the worst you have managed in training, the only way to elevate the top is to lift
the bottom.
Scott explains the Threshold of Performance strategy for Leg
Fencing: Secure, Shock, Saturate. (We are dealing with "attached striking" only
in Leg Fencing -- striking delivered while in the "clinch.") Simply stated, this means
taking a secure hold on your opponent, delivering disruption to your opponent
through strikes or grappling, and following up by overwhelming your opponent.
There are four elements to the clinch: a locking arm, a "power transfer" arm, a
driving leg, and a mobile leg. In the clinch, you collect data about your opponent
by feeling what he does. Where is he tense? Where is he pushing? Where and
how does he flinch? These pieces of data reveal tendencies your opponent
possesses that are specific to him. They'rehabitual, not reflexive. Scott even
makes an acronym of the word "data,"
here: defensive action tendency association.
Early on, Scott covers an important concept: that of range compression, a change
in fighting range that can eliminate or remove the "secure" phase of one's
strategy. Particularly against experienced fighters, one may go directly to "shock"
and then to "saturate" without visiting the "secure" stage.
The clinch, Scott explains, is not composed of weapons, but of joints. He
dismisses as "artificial constructs" and "marketing" the ideas of striking range,
kicking range, and grappling range, referring instead to depths, such as ankle
depth, knee depth, and wrist depth.
Moving on to "shock," Scott explains that through grappling (disrupting the
opponent's balance) and striking (delivering pain and surprise) one can remove the
opponent's will to fight. For example, the natural "righting reflex" one experiences
when one's balance is disrupted leaves one vulnerable. When we force someone
to experience that righting reflex, we have delivered shock. There are two ways to
overcome that shock: we can develop stability through mobility, and we can
increase our tolerance to pain and surprise. In this way we increase our toughness and
remain in flow.
Shock, Scott points out, is disruption. "You don't want to make this a chess
match. ...Shock is our ability to move in between [the opponent's] intentions."
In the "saturate" phase, the fighter envelops his opponent, derails him in taking
advantage of the disruption offered by shock. Do not, Scott cautions again, stand
there and trade blows with the opponent. Saturation is total commitment.
The remainder of the tape consists of static and fluid drills, separated by the
protocols used for them. Most of these seem extremely useful (and painful) for
those with access to training partners. The drills take place at specific depths and
build from the "tool development" exercises in Tape 1.
A typical segment involves Scott explaining the drill while demonstrating on training
partner Dan, then performing the drill with Dan. Dan and another training partner,
Anders, then work the drill, but these segments have been stylized with music and
a choppy camera effect. I understand that these are meant to serve as transitions
from one drill to the next, but I think I would have preferred to see the action as it
was originally filmed. Still, this -- like my other gripes -- is very minor.
In the Static Drills, Ankle Depth - Post, the toe strikes to ankle depth. It's not a
kick with weight transfer; it's a wave motion from the hip to the knee to the ankle. I
felt a little sorry for Dan, Scott's training partner, as I heard the solid thumpof
Scott's toe striking home. Before tapes 2a and 2b were done, I felt a lot more sorry
for Dan. These are effective expressions of sound principles. I don't think I would
want to be on the receiving end of the lengthy demonstrations of them.
In the Fluid Drill Protocol, Ankle Depth, Scott explains that you must grab at
wrist depth and post. As you post, you unbalance your opponent. Grappling and
striking are happening simultaneously. You are using the clinch with impact. Scott
pauses here to explain that effective fighting is not a matter of physical attributes
without technique, or technique without physical attributes. Both are
important. You must learn to use just enough strength at the right time.
In the Static Drills, Ankle Depth - Sweep, pain is administered to impart shock
using a portion of the figure 8 motion drilled in Tape 1. You must strike the
opponent's ankle and take his balance. It isn't just a sweeping motion, as this is
not just grappling. Scott repeats this distinction many times.
In the Fluid Drills, Ankle Depth, fluid rather than static performance goals are
emphasized. The ankle depth fluid drills are used to develop timing, rhythm, and
an understanding of range and depth. The training partners deliver posts to
supporting legs and sweeps to mobile legs.
In the Static Drills, Ankle Depth - Hook, the two reverse angles of the figure 8
motion are used. The heel comes in behind the opponent's leg -- but again, this is
not a grappling leg lace. The heel is used to strike a nerve and cause motor
action. The fighter isn't merely removing the supporting leg. He is causing the
opponent's muscles to contract.
In the Static Drills, Ankle Depth - Trip, the fighter plants a foot behind the
opponent's planted foot. Instead of just blocking the opponent's leg, the heel is
used to impart force to take down that leg. The move consists of blocking one
supporting leg and hammering at the other side, creating both force and a slide
down which the opponent's body moves.
I was impressed by this. It is a much more effective tripping technique than the
one I've previously learned, which is closer to Scott's explanation of what the ankle
depth trip is not.
In the Static Drills, Ankle Depth - Reap, the leg screws in. Rather than merely
chopping with the leg, the fighter again imparts force with part of the figure 8
motion that caused so much leg agony on the tool development cassette. I could
actually hear training partner Dan gasp when Scott applied this.
As I watched the three tapes in this series, it became obvious that two principles of
motion are very important in Leg Fencing: wave motion and screwing motion. I
became more aware of the way in which Scott moved his body to properly impart
force through these motions as the tapes went on.
In the Fluid Drill Protocol/ Fluid Drills and 5 Leg Fencing Tactics, Scott
discusses and then demonstrates fluid exercises using techniques he has
explained. He reminds the viewer that the purpose of fluid drills is to work on errors
and recovering from them -- to make mistakes and then learn to diminish the time
needed to mitigate those mistakes, real or perceived. (Think about this: when you
fight, there's no difference between a real error you've made and one you
onlythink you've made. Both disrupt your flow and both must be mitigated to stay
in flow.)
In the Static Drills, Knee Depth - Knee Strikes, Scott demonstrates the wave
motion used to transfer one's weight and apply knee attacks. He refers back to the
box step and demonstrates both straight and elliptical knees to his opponent. He
also mentions the "dead leg" technique, striking the motor point in the thigh. As I
watched this, I thought to myself, "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"
In the Fluid Drill Protocol, Knee Depth, Scott reiterates the purpose of flow drills
and refers to the development of toughness discussed in his Flow Fighting tape.
I found the Fluid Drill, Shock Absorption - Knee Strikes very helpful. Learning
to move your body to mitigate the effect of a kick or knee strike is very important,
given the power and shocking force such strikes can have. Scott also refers
torootedness here, the significance of maintaining your balance. The concept of
being rooted is one on which my Wing Chun teacher speaks constantly.
In the Fluid Drill, Unbalancing Knee Strikes, the fighter pulls his opponent off
balance when the opponent delivers a knee strike. Scott pauses here to make a
great point about not falling into a "motor set" while training in these drills. After a
few repetitions, training partners tend to anticipate the movement and deliberately
move out of the way to avoid the shock. Scott cautions the viewer not to do
this. Instead, deliberately put yourself in a position to receive shock as you
train. Only in this way will you learn to deal with it.
In the Fluid Drill, Asymmetrical Unbalancing and Knee Strikes, one training
partner attacks while the other defends, pulling his opponent off balance to avoid a
hit or mitigate the effects of being hit. One of the goals of the drill is to learn to
collect data from your opponent, to learn to feel when he is going to strike or move.
The Fluid Drill, Symmetrical Unbalancing and Knee Strikes involves two
training partners, both of whom try to strike with the knees while defending against
the same. The biggest danger of this exercise is that one of the opponents may
collide with the other. When drilling, Scott tells us, there should be a rise and a lull
to the training, corresponding to physical communication and the gathering of data
about the opponent.
The Static Drill Takedown #1, Inside Knee Trip is performed as the opponent
applies an elliptical knee. It isn't a leg lace and the fighters should not be grappling
in a free-fighting situation. As the opponent's mobile leg is about to transfer to the
supporting leg, trip him. The shock imparted should be similar to the sensation
experienced when one expects there to be a final step while descending stairs --
only to come down hard on the floor.
In the Static Drill Takedown #2, Cross Knee Trip, the opponent transfers his
weight after delivering a knee. The fighter catches this and cycles outwards,
knocking the opponent over.
In the Static Drill Takedown #3, Outside Knee Reap, the fighter reaps, screwing
in, striking the inside of the leg with a knee. Scott demonstrates this screwing
action and the resulting maneuver is, well, really cool.
The Static Drill Takedown #4, Knee Sweep is a thigh bump to the supporting leg
while the other knee is striking.
In the Fluid Drill, Asymmetrical Knee Depth with Takedowns, training partner
Dan tries to take down Scott at knee depth. Scott tries to block him. They then
switch. The drill is followed by a symmetrical example.
The production values of Tape 2B are similar to those of the first two tapes. The
sound level of the intro and outtro music is too loud when compared to Scott's
speaking voice, though this is a minor complaint. Closer shots of Scott and his
training partners are fine, and the camera moves up and down as needed to
capture torso and leg movement. Wide shots, in which the camera pans back to
reveal more of the color-lighted background, appear a bit dim in comparison to the
closer shots. Everything on the tape is visible and audible.
The tape begins with a discussion of the Trinity Tactic and Training
Protocol. Scott discusses bound flow and says that every time you intend to do one
thing, deliver a single technique or motion, you are binding your flow each time that
single action ends. To stay in flow, you must minimize the time between
techniques. Don't do a single thing. Do three different things at the same
time. But be warned: this is not a technique. "If you think of it as a technique,"
Scott says, "you've just sucked the training value out of it." The trinity tactic and
training protocol is a training tool. Your task is to flow in a fluid drill and apply the
principle, not throw it as a technique. The concept quite logically leads to the
"saturate" phase of the T.O.P. strategy, in which you overwhelm your opponent.
The drills continue, picking up where tape 2A ended. (Normally, training should be
conducted alternating from static drill to fluid drill, not as a series of static drills in
succession.)
In the Static Drill Under-Hook Blocking Knees, a shoulder-depth secure clinch at
hip depth is required. Scott demonstrates the proper clinch needed to block the
opponent at the hips, thus blocking or mitigating knee strikes. The fighter must feel
the weight transfer, developing accurate threat perception in the process.
In a segment on Static Drill Fine Points, Scott demonstrates how to remove your
elbow from the clinch by moving it to the hip to pull it out. From hip depth, you
can't apply knees too well -- you need space. The drill works on the point at which
the hips are "married" to facilitate what Scott calls "flight lessons," or
takedowns. One very good point Scott makes here is that your hips must be out to
protect you from grappling, which makes you vulnerable to strikes -- but if your hips
are in to protect from strikes, you are vulnerable to grappling. When your
opponent's hips are out, strike him. When they are in, throw him.
Discussing Fluid Drills, Scott tells us to start from the "secure" phase -- the clinch
-- with the hips out. Training partner Dan and Scott demonstrate this, blocking
each other's knee strikes. Scott reminds the viewer to keep the knees bent,
maintain a secure hold, and keep posture low.
In the Static Drill Takedown #1, Defensive Hip Throw, from the
overhook/underhook clinch, the fighter must feel the knee coming in and up the
body. "Marrying with the force," he throws the opponent over his hip.
In the Static Drill Takedown #2, Wizzer, the fighter pulls his elbow back, lifts the
shoulder to expose the wrist and get wrist control, and, with his other hand on the
back of the opponent's head, jams the shoulder down. This drops the
opponent. Anyone familiar with wrestling from high school will recognize the
application of this control over the opponent's head.
The Static Drill Takedown #3, Lateral Hip Lift, involves moving across the
opponent's body, pulling his hip into yours, and screwing upwards as his weight
transfers while delivering a knee. Scott lifts Dan completely off the floor doing this
move.
In motion, locking arms and power transfer arms can loosen. The Static Drill
Head and Arm Clinch at Hip Depth with Knee Strikes teaches the opponents to
take advantage of this in getting a good head and arm clinch.
In the Static Drill Takedown #4, Gut Wrench Body Wave, the fighter inhibits the
opponent's diaphragm through the "gut wrench." He performs a "body wave" to life
and take and opponent down from that gut wrench as his hips come in. This
delivers shock and gives the fighter a chance to saturate the opponent with strikes.
In the Fluid Drill Protocol, Hip Depth, Scott explains that once the training
partners get to, say, elbow depth, they must work their way back to shoulder depth
to deliver strikes, throws, and takedowns at hip depth.
In a segment on Transcending Range and Range Compression, Scott has
donned a pair of padded gloves without fingertips. In practice you may not get the
"secure" phase, he reiterates. You may have to go directly to "shock" and
"saturate." Don't isolate your weapons to a particular range, he says. Instead,
learn to move and compress range as needed. This is related to flow.
Fluid Drill Protocols for Elbow to Shoulder Depth, Wrist to Elbow
Depth, Shoulder to Wrist Depth, and Wrist to Shoulder Depth follow. One of
the more important points among these is that wrist control is a fundamental
exercise, paramount to keeping your balance and controlling your opponent.
In the Dynamic Drill Protocol, Transcending Range with T.O.P. Strategy, the
opponents start from non-contact range and move inside to apply the Secure,
Shock, and Saturate strategy. As they get closer, they reduce variables and
increase their ability to collect data about each other.
In the Dynamic Drill Protocols for Bloodsport, Evolution, and Role-Play, Scott
describes a number of ways to make training more interesting while exploring and
better learning the training strategies of different styles and specific fighters. I
particularly liked, and can relate to, the drill he calls "Bloodsport," in which an
opponent uses a specific (and often quite different) style. In sparring or combat
drills this is something I have seen both of my martial teachers do.
Throughout the Leg Fencing series, Scott refers to other tapes, such as Flow
Fighting, Fisticuffs, Immovable Object - Unstoppable Force, and others. He has
established an impressive body of work to which you can refer for more detail on a
variety of subjects, though I believe the Leg Fencing series stands fairly well by
itself.
Scott begins each tape in this series with a quote: "Be more prepared than the
challenges you will face."